americorps legal fellowship program orientation and site ... · for 2011-2012, host sites will...
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AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship Program
Orientation and Site Start-UpJune 16, 2011
The Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps
Team
• Cole McMahon, Associate Director, Federal
Programs
• Marty Costello, Senior Program Manager,
AmeriCorps
• Natalie Wasserman, AmeriCorps Compliance
Specialist
• Bethany Hamilton, Summer Corps Specialist
• Program Coordinator, AmeriCorps
Equal Justice Works? AmeriCorps? Host Site?
How it all fits together
Corporation for National and Community Service
AmeriCorps Senior Corps Learn & Serve America
Equal Justice Works
Host Site Host Site Host Site Host Site
Introduction to the AmeriCorps Language
• Staff Attorney/Employee = Equal Justice Works
AmeriCorps Legal Fellow
• Job = Fellowship
• Work = Service
• Salary = Compensation (Living Allowance and
Supplemental Benefits)
• Length of job = Term of Service
• AmeriCorps Education Award
Policies, Procedures, Prep
• Choose your team: Project Director, Fiscal
Manager, Site Supervisors
• Know where to find info:
http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/post-
grad/americorps-legal-fellowships
• Know Equal Justice Works
• Know your stuff: review the Program Manual
• Know your due dates
Submission deadlines
• Progress reports due twice a year: mid-April and
mid-November
• Periodic Expense Reports (monthly invoices) due
2nd and 4th Monday
• Grant renewal TBD (March 2011)
Fellow Compensation
• Living Allowance
• Other benefits
• Supplemental benefits
• Education award and student loan issues
Living Allowance
For 2011-2012, host sites will receive $24,200 per Fellow as
their AmeriCorps grant.
AmeriCorps rules:
• Total amount must be disbursed evenly across term of
service
• “May only be made to a participant during the participant’s
term of service and must cease when the participant
concludes the term of service.”
• “Programs may not provide a lump sum payment to a
participant who completes the originally agreed-upon term
of service in a shorter period of time.”
Other Benefits
• Host sites must provide healthcare insurance and
liability insurance for each Fellow
• Host sites should provide the same benefits to
Fellows as other staff
• Fellows eligible for loan forbearance and interest
payment on federally-backed loans (Fellows are
also encouraged to investigate Income Based
Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness)
Supplemental Benefits
• Equal Justice Works mandates providing between
$12,000-$22,000 per Fellow per service term.
• Examples include housing assistance (payments
made to a mortgage lender or landlord), and loan
repayment assistance (for educational or car
loans).
• Supplemental benefits payments made are not
considered income by AmeriCorps, but they must
be reported to the IRS and are taxable.
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
• $5,550 for 2011-2012
• Contingent on successful completion of term of at
least 1,700 hours
• Voucher paid directly to school or lender
• Can be applied to any Federally backed loan or
Title I tuition expense
• Must be used within 7 years
• Considered by IRS to be taxable in year it is used
• Immediately available upon exit from AmeriCorps
Portal
1,700 hours
• Minimum required to receive AmeriCorps
education award
• Serves as a minimum, not a maximum.
• Service and training count, holidays and leave do
not count (This should be different from your staff
leave policies)
• Fellows are allowed to follow organization’s leave
policies without pay-out at end of term of service
• Potential issues: bar failure, 35 hour work weeks,
low expectations/performance
Grants Management System (GMS)
• Hosted by Equal Justice Works, password
protected: http://info.equaljusticeworks.org/gms
• Current functions+ Grant Application
+ Budget submission
+ Periodic Expense Reports (PER=monthly invoice)
Grants Management System
Sample PER
AmeriCorps Reporting and Enrollment
System (ARES)
• Hosted by Equal Justice Works, password
protected: http://info.equaljusticeworks.org/ares
• Current functions+ Fellow enrollment (contact information, contract,
employment documents)
+ Host Site documents (malpractice insurance, subgrant
agreement, etc)
+ Progress Reports
+ Program Calendar
+ Fellow exit
AmeriCorps Reporting and Enrollment
System (ARES)
ARES – Fellow Screen
ARES – Host Site Screen
Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment
• Only use Equal Justice Works-approved
announcements
• Dangers: Inaccurate description of compensation,
roles include potential prohibited activities
• Conduct 3 background checks prior to start date
• Starting window: August 1-September 15
• Sign contracts and paperwork on day 1 of term
Multi-Site Placements
• Situation in which a number of organizations
receive Fellows through one subgrantee
• Host site handles finances, payroll, reporting and
general oversight
• Partner org pays host site match for Fellow,
provides day to day supervision
• Examples: OneJustice (CA), Advocates for Basic
Legal Equality (OH), NYLAG (NY)
• MOU required
Contact info
AmeriCorps Team:
• Cole McMahon, [email protected],
202.466.3686 x120
• Marty Costello, Esq., [email protected],
202.466.3686x125
• Natalie Wasserman, [email protected],
202.466.3686x104
• Bethany Hamilton, [email protected],
202.466.3686 x134
AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship Program
Policy Update and Recruitment Strategy
Session
June 16, 2011
Position Descriptions & Start Dates
• Please wait to hear from Equal Justice Works
before posting your position descriptions for
Fellows.+ Dangers: Inaccurate description of compensation, roles
include potential prohibited activities
• Equal Justice Works encourages Fellow start
dates between 8/1/11-9/15/11+ Exceptions:
Returning Fellows whose terms end after 9/15/11
Sites who are exiting a 2nd year Fellow and can’t
bring on a new 1st year Fellow until 2nd year Fellow
has completed term
Background Checks
Required of all AmeriCorps Fellows:
1. FBI Fingerprint Check
Required of all new AmeriCorps Fellows:
1. National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR)
2. State criminal check for your state
3. State criminal check for state of Fellow’s
residence at time of application (if different)
• A background check for bar admission is not
sufficient.
How do you recruit?
• What attributes are you looking for in a
Fellow in a new project?+ Are those attributes different from a Fellow
continuing in a sustained project?
• Are you looking for someone who is local to
your service area or someone who could
move?
• How much experience are you looking for in
a Fellow?
How do you recruit?
• How do you conduct your interviews to find
out whether someone will be a good public
interest lawyer?
• Is there anything you do during the
selection process that is outside of a
traditional interview?
• Where do you advertise your position
openings?
Screening, selection strategies
• Engage current Fellows
• Behavioral interviewing
• Tests and homework to replicate the elements of
the Fellowship
• Rigorous reference checks
• Introductions to staff to gauge personality fit
• Look for individuals, but keep the team in mind
Recruitment Sources
• Your organization’s website
• http://www.pslawnet.org/
• http://www.idealist.org
• Affinity groups, minority bar sections
• Other?
Exit Process for 2010-2011 Fellows
• Process will be moving to ARES+ We’ll discuss further at July Staff Training in DC
• If your Fellows will be exiting before July 20, 2011,
please contact us
Contact info
AmeriCorps Team:
• Cole McMahon, [email protected],
202.466.3686 x120
• Marty Costello, Esq., [email protected],
202.466.3686x125
• Natalie Wasserman, [email protected],
202.466.3686x104
• Bethany Hamilton, [email protected],
202.466.3686 x134